Aerospace Experimental Psychologist

[Gnar]

Greetings,

Is anyone putting in a package for Aerospace Experimental Psychologist (AEP)* for the upcoming boards in December? I believe I was told there a 2-3 slots open for FY2014. Not sure what my chances are since I am not doing my oral defence for my doctorate until December 17th 2013. Additionally, still waiting on my flight physical.. Is anyone else in a similar boat?

(Questions to pilots): Do AEPs fit in well with the flight community? Or are we like the red headed stepchild? It seems like many Navy personnel I have spoken with have never heard of our community.

Good luck to everyone!

* http://www.navyaep.com/

 

[LFCFan]

One of my friend's dad is an AEP and wrote one of my OCS LORs. I spoke to him quite a bit about it but decided instead to quit grad school and just go for a regular pilot slot (I was more interested in the aviation parts and still had a few years left in grad school). He had nothing but good things to say about his time doing it. He did say that they preferred people who had already defended their dissertation (vice being accepted well in advance) but you're pretty close to being done so they might not hold that against you.

 

[Gnar]

One of my friend's dad is an AEP and wrote one of my OCS LORs. I spoke to him quite a bit about it but decided instead to quit grad school and just go for a regular pilot slot (I was more interested in the aviation parts and still had a few years left in grad school). He had nothing but good things to say about his time doing it. He did say that they preferred people who had already defended their dissertation (vice being accepted well in advance) but you're pretty close to being done so they might not hold that against you.

I was also tossing up the idea of doing the pilot track with the Marines before I started graduate school. However, the AEP program for me combined two things I would enjoy doing (research + flying).

Good to hear that your dad's friend enjoys the job. All of the AEPs I have met so far seem to be down to earth and professional. Looking forward to hopefully getting a shot.

Thanks for the info!

 

[BusyBee604]

(Questions to pilots): Do AEPs fit in well with the flight community? Or are we like the red headed stepchild? It seems like many Navy personnel I have spoken with have never heard of our community.

Not sure about today, but back in my day (winged from 1958-74), AEPs were NOT considered stepchildren, but were so rare, that few NAs had heard of them, let alone met one. I did meet one back in 1972 at at NAS Lemoore. Besides his experimental research, (then} LT Paul Furr MSC, supervised the Ejection Seat Trainer/quals (OMIAS Card), Hi-Alt Pressure training/quals, lectured on hypoxia, survival equipment, and usually had an aviation research/development project going on..

The air war had not yet ended, and with 22 jet attack squadrons (less 6 deployed} based at Lemoore, Paul had full days, but I know he enjoyed his job. He was not a 'winged' aviator, but got all the flight time he could handle in the back seats of 2 RAG squadrons TA-4F/Js.

I got involved in one of Paul's research projects when after getting requaled in the pressure chamber, he asked for my assistance in a project to improve pilot's helmets. He had just received several new design helmets, and asked me to use one for every flight for the next 6 months, reporting periodically on fit, utility, comfort & any proplems encountered. It was a brilliant design, which eliminated the O2 mask entirely. It was a 'clamshell' design with a integrated inside rear O2 regulator, with a gasket that sealed around the neck when clamshell was closed, It had a small boom mike inside the inner (clear) visor. Also had a shaded outside swivel visor. With the clear visor closed and O2 switch on, your head was in a constant 100% O2 environment. Long story short, I loved the helmet, and when my part of the test was over, he gave me the helmet which I then used until the day I retired, some 18 months later. I don't know if they ever adopted that, or some other helmet fleetwide after I left?

Just a bit of the work of one AEP back then, don't know about today, hope it helps!
BzB

 

[Gnar]

Not sure about today, but back in my day (winged from 1958-74), AEPs were NOT considered stepchildren, but were so rare, that few NAs had heard of them, let alone met one. I did meet one back in 1972 at at NAS Lemoore. Besides his experimental research, (then} LT Paul Furr MSC, supervised the Ejection Seat Trainer/quals (OMIAS Card), Hi-Alt Pressure training/quals, lectured on hypoxia, survival equipment, and usually had an aviation research/development project going on..

The air war had not yet ended, and with 22 jet attack squadrons (less 6 deployed} based at Lemoore, Paul had full days, but I know he enjoyed his job. He was not a 'winged' aviator, but got all the flight time he could handle in the back seats of 2 RAG squadrons TA-4F/Js.
View attachment 13059
I got involved in one of Paul's research projects when after getting requaled in the pressure chamber, he asked for my assistance in a project to improve pilot's helmets. He had just received several new design helmets, and asked me to use one for every flight for the next 6 months, reporting periodically on fit, utility, comfort & any proplems encountered. It was a brilliant design, which eliminated the O2 mask entirely. It was a 'clamshell' design with a integrated inside rear O2 regulator, with a gasket that sealed around the neck when clamshell was closed, It had a small boom mike inside the inner (clear) visor. Also had a shaded outside swivel visor. With the clear visor closed and O2 switch on, your head was in a constant 100% O2 environment. Long story short, I loved the helmet, and when my part of the test was over, he gave me the helmet which I then used until the day I retired, some 18 months later. I don't know if they ever adopted that, or some other helmet fleetwide after I left?

Just a bit of the work of one AEP back then, don't know about today, hope it helps!
BzB

Greetings Sir,

Thank you for your insight. I am happy to hear that the community is useful and fit in. I am pretty excited to be given the opportunity to work on cool projects like that. At first I was a little worried that our primary objective was only test development/selection. However, I have learned that the community is more versatile.

I had a chance to read your bio piece on U.S. Navy voices. It was really interesting! Did you happen to come to Christchurch while you were in New Zealand? Did you meet with any of the RNZAF Skyhawk pilots here?

Thanks again for the info!

 

[BusyBee604]

I had a chance to read your bio piece on U.S. Navy voices. It was really interesting! Did you happen to come to Christchurch while you were in New Zealand? Did you meet with any of the RNZAF Skyhawk pilots here?

I did spend a few days there in '79. During a 6-month stay in Australia, I flew into Christchurch from Sydney (Richmond RAAF Base), in a USAF C-141 to spend a month as a guest of the late Grp Capt W. "Ross" Donaldson RNZAF, then CO of the base at Blenheim. Upon arrival at Christchurch, Ross sent a C-130 to pick me up at Wigram and return to his base. During my NZ tour (from Dunedin to Auckland), I spent a week at RNZAF Base Ohakea, hosted by A-4 75 Sqdn, and what a great visit it was.

Ten years earlier in 1969, I was an IP in VA-44 A-4 Training Sqdn @ NAS Cecil Fld, Jax FL, and was the Sponsor Officer for [then] Sqdn Ldr Donaldson, who had arrived as an exchange Pilot for A-4 fam/IP checkout & to supervise the RNZAF Pilot & enlisted maintenance cadre A-4 training. He was scheduled to be 75 Sqdn's first A-4 CO when they received their first A-4 Skyhawks. But, as you may have heard, he was badly injured in Dec '69 in a TA-4J bird strike/ejection accident which ended his flying status, but not his military career. We became close friends with Ross's family, as their 3 kids were the same ages as our three, thus my post-retirement visit in '79. Enough here on the AW site, for further discussion... e-mail me at: bzb604@cox.net

Squadron Leader W. "Ross" Donaldson RNZAF. RIP Bro



BzB

 

[Renegade One]

(Questions to pilots): Do AEPs fit in well with the flight community? Or are we like the red headed stepchild? It seems like many Navy personnel I have spoken with have never heard of our community….

I never heard of them either, but there're surely a lot of "head cases" within the ranks of Naval Aviation…so probably an interesting community. Maybe they were the guys dressed in civvies who quietly sat beside us in the O'Club bars…just listening to the BS and taking notes?

Would make a great "spinoff" of NCIS….